Oracle Bones Quotes

“Americans and Chinese shared a number of characteristics: they were pragmatic and informal, and they had an easy sense of humor. In both nations, people tended to be optimistic, sometimes to a fault. They worked hard—business success came naturally, and so did materialism. They were deeply patriotic, but it was a patriotism based on faith rather than experience: relatively few people had spent much time abroad, but they still loved their country deeply. When they did leave, they tended to be bad travelers—quick to complain, slow to adjust. Their first question about a foreign country was usually: What do they think of us? Both China and the United States were geographically isolated, and their cultures were so powerful that it was hard for people to imagine other perspectives.”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China

“The history of China, like the history of any great culture, was written at the expense of other stories that have remained silent.”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present

“Virtually every Chinese citizen whom I came to know well was doing something technically illegal, although usually the infraction was so minor that they didn’t have to worry. It might be a sketchy apartment registration or a small business that bought its products from unlicensed wholesalers. Sometimes, it was comic: late at night, there were always people out walking their dogs in Beijing, because the official dog registration was ridiculously expensive. The dogs were usually ratlike Pekingese, led by sleepy owners who snapped to alertness if they saw a cop. They were guerillas walking toy dogs.”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China

“There is hope in such a superstition; there is the illusion of control.”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present

“I felt a sense of brotherhood with anybody who peddled stories... A crowd had gathered around one man who sold pamphlets. He was in his early twenties, and you could tell from his appearance - dark skin, dirty collar, cheap blue suit - that he was a migrant. But he spoke beautifully, holding the crowd with his words... He sold pamphlets not because he needed to, but because the pamphlets deserved to be sold.”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present

“In Manchuria, I had learned one important fact about propaganda: the key information isn't what you put in, but what you leave out.”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present

“A dusty calendar was marked with the slogan TOMORROW WILL BE EVEN BETTER. It seemed ominous that the calendar was three years old.”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present

“News Corp. used the same footage to sell patriotism in America and in China, and in both places the people bought it.”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present

“Look at America—children are taught to be independent and creative. In China, it’s all about discipline. There isn’t enough creativity, and if you don’t have creativity, then you can’t adapt and change. You just follow the same old patterns and you don’t get any better. That”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China

“The words of history are also the words of war.”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present

“Every always says that their product is the best," said Mr.Wang. "They have to talk about how much better they are than the competition, and usually they believe it. But the truth is that it's much easier once you realize that your product is inferior. Then you can focus on just doing business!”
― Peter Hessler, Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present